Part of the ‘VBL Core4’, as I have recently started to refer to them as, is Outsourcing. When it comes to lifestyle design, we look more towards personal outsourcing, rather then the huge call center outsourcing that takes place so much nowadays. And, when we think personal outsourcing, we think of virtual assistants (on which there is 33 archived articles on this blog alone – click the link to see ’em!).
I’ve been involved with outsourcing for so long now that it is part of my daily life, more than most people can comprehend. Sure, I run an outsourcing company – but, I also provide content on the subject for many magazines, associations, business groups and other media sources, too, based on my 10 years of experience in the industry. However, personal outsourcing and working with virtual assistants has become such a huge topic that I now get more emails on this subject alone, when it comes to outsourcing, than any other aspect on the topic! I’ve even recorded a ‘short and sharp’ series of 10 related videos, which you can check out, too, if you like!
So, following on from yesterdays VBL Podcast episode, where we met Vik Tantry and spoke about how he works with over 20 virtual assistants to help build his online empire, today’s VBL discussion point is on the subject of VAs and most importantly – top tips on working with them.
My Number One VA Tip
My number one tip, above and beyond everything else on working with a virtual assistant, is to make sure that you provide solid training when you start working with them. So many people think that outsourcing to a VA is a magic pill that you can pop and everything will work perfectly from the outset – doesn’t happen that way. This is one of the things I discuss in my free eBook on the subject.
Spend some time showing them how you want things presented, the type of layouts you like for reports in Excel, etc. Time spent on this stuff right at the beginning of your relationship is more valuable than you can possibly imagine. Trust me!
If you guys would be interested in a more in-depth post on the ‘training’ side of things, let me know, I’d be happy to elaborate on a few things!
